Israel and Hamas reached a deal on Tuesday that includes a four-day ceasefire as well as the release of 50 Hamas-held hostages and many Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. The deal also includes measures to allow the flow of humanitarian aid and resources like water, food and fuel into Gaza.

The deal did not immediately go into effect after it was announced. Qatar, who helped negotiate the deal, released a statement saying that the exact timing would be disseminated within 24 hours of the deal’s announcement. Israeli media has reported that government officials believe it will go into effect on Thursday, after a 24-hour period allowing Israeli citizens to ask the Supreme Court to block the release of specific prisoners.

When the deal does go into effect, hostilities will cease for four days, 50 hostages held by Hamas will be freed and a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons will be released. The hostages and prisoners will all be women and children. Hamas said the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released is 150, but Israel has not publicly confirmed that number, and Qatar’s statement did not include a specific figure. The deal will also allow a large influx of humanitarian aid, food, water and fuel into Gaza to address the acute humanitarian crisis in the territory. While the deal only agrees to a four-day pause in hostilities, it leaves open the possibility of an extension: Israel says it will extend the pause one day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas.

The announcement of a deal comes after days of speculation and more than a month into Israel’s war with Hamas, which started after Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel. In these initial attacks, Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostage in Gaza. International law experts have said that this, along with rocket attacks targeting civilian areas, constitutes war crimes, and families of October 7 victims filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleging genocide. Bringing the hostages home is one of Israel’s stated goals and has been a rallying cry for Israeli citizens and Jewish communities.

Following Hamas’s attacks, Israel has engaged in a siege and invasion of Gaza that’s killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Restrictions on humanitarian aid, food, water and fuel, combined with Israeli attacks, have created a dire situation for civilians in Gaza. The international community has expressed deep concern, with the World Health Organization describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic.” Groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Israel of war crimes, pointing to attacks on places like medical facilities and refugee camps and the high number of journalist deaths. Israel has rejected these claims, saying Hamas embeds themselves in civilian locations. A group of five countries submitted a referral to the ICC, and Palestinian rights groups filed their own complaint alleging genocide.

International calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages have increased in recent weeks, with world leaders like UN Secretary-General António Guterres saying a humanitarian ceasefire and hostage release was necessary to “end the suffering and avoid a spillover of the conflict.” Some countries have made moves to cut ties with Israel, and cities across the world have been engulfed in protests. In the US, thousands of people marched in Washington, DC demanding a ceasefire, and thousands marched demanding the release of hostages.

Although the deal brings temporary relief and could be extended, Israel and Hamas have both indicated they are ready to keep fighting, with Israel saying they “will continue the war” and Hamas saying their “hands will remain on the trigger.”